Clearlake man to face trial for alleged stabbing

LAKEPORT -- A judge Thursday ruled there was enough evidence to go to trial in the case of a Clearlake man who allegedly stabbed another man to death in May.

Darrel Vernon Sidwell sat quietly in courtroom five at the Lake County Courthouse. He sat close to his attorney and occasionally looked back at family as one by one, five witnesses revealed their accounts of the May 9 incident.

Sidwell, 57, pleaded not guilty to three felonies in May that stemmed from his alleged stabbing of Brad Beaudoin during an argument involving the position of a boat parked out of water near Park Street and Old Highway 53 in Clearlake. Beaudoin was pronounced dead hours later at St. Helena Hospital in Clearlake.

Clearlake Police Department (CPD) Detective Travis Lenz said in his testimony that he found the knife police think was the murder weapon in a corner of a pickup truck bed that was parked on the property where Sidwell was arrested. The knife was under a yellow nylon rope that contained a small blood-stain, but no blood was found on the knife itself.

Autopsy reports revealed Beaudoin died from a stab wound about five to six inches deep and about an inch wide, dimensions consistent with the suspected murder weapon, Lenz said.

CPD officer Andrew Adams testified that during the arrest Sidwell allegedly stated Beaudoin "came at" him. Adams also said that while receiving medical attention Beaudoin mentioned he had come from "Darrell's (Sidwell's home)."

Testimonial accounts based on investigative findings by CPD detectives Ryan Peterson and officer Adams revealed that Sidwell was involved in at least two arguments with Beaudoin's girlfriend and also argued with Beaudoin throughout the day of the alleged stabbing.

A confidential informant revealed information that he obtained during several alleged conversations that occurred in jail during the span of about 30 days. The witness revealed Sidwell's retelling of the day of the suspected stabbing, a story that matched the accounts of police witnesses.

During the conversations, Sidwell allegedly said he "wished he hadn't remembered he had the knife." The confidential witness also said he thought of Sidwell as a man who had been beaten many times and wasn't willing to let it happen again.

The witness also described the type of weapon Sidwell used during the alleged stabbing, a "fillet knife."

Defense attorney Stephen Carter argued that there was no witness to the alleged stabbing or to what was said in previous arguments between Sidwell and Beaudoin. He called the prosecutor's case a lot of "hearsay."

Carter also questioned the credibility of the confidential witness and said his testimony sounded like "bogus self-serving."

Lake County Judge Andrew S. Blum found enough evidence to go to trial on two counts, but dismissed a third one. He scheduled arraignment for July 22.

"The judge made the right decision," Deputy District Attorney said, "we are pleased."

Isaac Brambila is a staff reporter for Lake County News. Reach him at 263-5636 ex. 37 or at ibrambila@record-bee.com.